Exploring Paris past and present with a native.

Paris: a labyrinth underground

It is a little known fact, even to Parisians themselves, that almost half of Paris’ left bank is in fact… a labyrinth!

Of course, one has to go deep down under the surface (usually between 20 and 30 meters) to enter the maze of 500+ km of galleries, which are the testimony of the former mining frenzy that started in the Roman days and last up until just before the French Revolution.

Most of the galleries display an engraving or a plate of the corresponding street name above the ground. Some spots, more than others, bear the marks of History, like this bunker from WWII where you can still read instructions in German painted on the walls.

Unfortunately, Paris Ambassador won’t be able to take you to an underground tour: the IGC (Inspection Générale des Carrières), created by Louis XVI in 1777, is the official manager of “carrières souterraines de Paris”, which are now closed to the public.

But this doesn’t prevent the “cataphiles” from having a social life underground, including tagging, trekking and partying.

And, guess what, the 6 million dead buried in the “catacombes”, the official boneyard of Paris, don’t seem to care.